Charming Flora
by louisaeve
Summary: Lettie Chambers is not an exceptional or confident student. She's not Lily Evans. She likes spending her time in the library, or working on Charms. And she's failing Transfiguration. Very well. But when McGonagall assigns Sirius Black as her tutor she knows she's going to be signin her death sentence.
1. Chapter 1

She flicked her wand, tiny sparks emitted.

She was _supposed _to be doing her Transfiguration, but there was a pretty rose, not quite yet blooming, that she had been given. Softly but surely, she twirled the willow wand, and allowed the rose to grow in length and height. It was glowing now, and it was turning colours, blues, greens, purples, colours that were not its natural red.

It started flowering, blooming, its petals moving in a dance, and her lips parted in surprise and excitement. To her left and right students were stopping their own Transfiguration to look over at the pretty dance of flowers that she was -

"Miss Chambers!" McGonagall called sharply, walking briskly over to her desk.

Sighing, the dark haired girl let the charm go, and the flower shrunk, and lost its glow, although the edges were left with sparkle like gold spots on the edges of its petals.

"Yes Professor?" She asked softly, disappointed.

"While that was impressive Charms work, we are in Transfiguration, and I would like to see you do the proper Transformation." She raised an eyebrow, half paying her a compliment. "Would you care to demonstrate to the class?"

"Oooh, burn." The class let out, leaving the poor girl blushing.

She waved her wand, quietly murmuring the incantation, and the rose transformed into a tiny songbird, in red and sparkled.

"You need some work Miss Chambers. I asked for a parakeet." Shaking her head McGonagall walked away, leaving the girl to play with the tiny bird, which was dancing around on the desk.

Blushing, the girl cooed, as her Transfiguration partner, the Head Girl, Lily Evans, rolled her eyes. "Lettie! You need to pay more attention!" She scolded, making her own bird larger and larger.

"I know . . . it's just it's so beautiful!" Lettie cooed again, as the bird let out a few shrill notes. "And you have to admit that the flower was too."

"Well, it was okay." Lily admitted, rolling her eyes, as her bird let out a large squawk. "But we have to sit our N.E.W.T.S this year! You're nearly failing Transfiguration! You'd get a P for that! It's not even the right colour!"

Lettie let out a sigh. "It's fine Lily. I can deal with it. I'm going to study in the library a fair bit tonight. I don't think I'm going to dinner. I promise i'll be a better partner."

"Okay, Okay. See you round." Lily gave a final roll of her eyes as the belle went.

Lettie packed her books and quills and parchment up, not to carefully putting them in her bag. Sighing she looked at the tiny bird. She couldn't bear turn it back. Hushing it, as the others left, she put it into her robes pocket, petting its head.

"Miss Chambers! A word if I may?" McGonagall asked, turning and walking into her office.

Blushing at the stares from the rest of her class, Lettie nodded, letting her head drop, and slinging her book bag over her shoulder as she walked to the front of the room, and followed her Head of House in.

"Now, it has come to my attention that you are not quite up to speed with the rest of the class." The Scottish woman picked up a pile of parchment. "Your test results consist of a steady amount of P's and A's."

"I know." She stuttered. "But I'm studying. Going to go to the library."

"Miss Chambers, this is your N.E.W.T's year! You have no grasp on the basics! You have no time to be going around, wasting time on things you simply don't understand!" McGonagall said exasperated.

"Please don't kick me out!" She begged. "I need to have a N.E.W.T level to be a Healer! Please! I'll do anything!"

"Miss Chambers! I am not kicking you out of my class!" McGonagall looked at her seriously. "However I do think you need some additional help."

"You're assigning me a . . . tutor?" She asked blankly. "But it's fine really! I don't need to have one. Besides everyone will be so busy studying, I don't want to disturb anyone!" _And I don't want to look like a complete and utter failure of a third year, _she thought to herself.

"This is not just help for you, Miss Chambers. This is punishment for your tutor as well." McGonagall's lips thinned.

"Please! I can ask Lily for help! It's fine, really!" She begged.

"Lily Evans is an exceptional witch, however she is not as good at Transfiguration a your tutor." McGonagall opened the door to her classroom, letting a rush of cold air chill the warm study. "Miss Chambers, meet your tutor - Sirius Black."

**So oh oh, another one? Yes I apologise. But omg there are so many bad sirius/OC's out there . . . can you blame me? **

**but please tell me what you think! **

**x louis**


	2. Hylla Idola

This was not happening. Especially not to Lettie Chambers.

Maybe any other girl would love to have Sirius Black tutor them. He was charming, good looking intelligent. But she was Lettie. She liked to spend her Hogsmeade weekends in the hadn't talked to a boy since . . . secound year, when she accidentally spilt pumpkin juice on Frank Longbottom's robes. She couldn't flirt with a guy if someone put a Witch Weekly magazine in front of her, and a set of instructions and Lily whispering in her ear.

In short, Sirius Black was going to hate her. He liked girls like Annalise O'Conner and Emily Jensen, who flirted and 'had fun' with whatever boy (well, generally Quidditch player), who happened by.

She would just keep quiet. Study hard. Try not to embarrass herself. Because, Merlin, he was good at Transfiguration! After all, he was one of James Potters best friends. And all of his friends were good at magic. Even Remus Lupin, who had seemed so inexperienced and lacking in their first two years, was now one of the top ten.

It really wasn't fair, Lettie decided as she hurried down the corridors, hoping to get to the library and find her books and a seat, before the people who had actually had lunch got there.

To her luck, the place was deserted and Madam Pince sat at the front, tapping her pen against the scroll of parchment sitting in front of her. Smiling at the librarian, Lettie walked over to the corner of the library, where the Transfiguration books were located. Most people found Transfiguration considerably easier than all of the other Magics taught at Hogwarts, so generally this corner was a lot more deserted than any other area of the library. Sinking into a plush armchair with 'Most Complex and Sophisticated Studies of Transfiguration' Lettie let out a sigh. This was why she hated Wednesday's.

"Oh shoot!" Lettie yelled an hour and fifteen minutes later, as she slammed the heavy tome down on the table in front of her. "Sorry Madam!" She called out to the librarian, who had shot her a warning glance. "I'm going to be late, late, late!"

She quickly ran down the hallways, towards the Charms class. Her favourite class. The only one she excelled in. Professor Flitwick, much to her joy, was only just arriving. "Hello Miss Chambers. Running a bit late?" He asked her, only just reaching her shoulder, despite her being a very tiny witch.

"Yes. Sorry Professor, I was in the library." She ducked her head, blushing.

"Just don't let it happen again." He gave a chuckle, pushing open the classroom door.

She walked to the front row, finding a seat, while her peers lounged around, talking and throwing paper planes around.

"Alright, alright!" Professor flitwick squeaked. "Settle down. Now today, we are going to be looking over the Charms invented by Hylla Idola."

The class groaned. Hylla was a witch in the age of Stonehenge, who liked Herbology of all things. Her charms were mostly to enchant flowers and trees. Not exactly the exciting things that most people liked.

However, Lettie did like those charms. As a matter of fact, that was what she had been practicing in Transfiguration. It was one of the harder charms, one that professor Flitwick did not teach, but she had found it, and of course had wanted to try it out. It was a simple spell really. If you looked at it figuratively. Of course the incantation was rather long, but you jus memorised it like a chant or song.

"You weren't at lunch!" Lily looked at her friend concerned. "What did Professor McGonagall want?"

Lettie watched Eliza Banks hand out the tulips they would be using this lesson with interest for a couple of secounds before turning to face Lily. "She wants me to be tutored."

"Well that won't be that bad." Lily consoled her, taking in the look on her face. "You could probably use the help!"

"By Sirius Black." Lettie said blankly.

"What?" Lily let out a squeal, not even bothering to look embarrassed when half the class looked over curiously (which Lettie did for her). "Sirius Black? but he's so lazy! He won't show up!"

"You think I don't know that?" Lettie sighed. "But as much as I tried to argue, she wasn't listening to any of it. Something about it being a punishment for him as well. Thank you." She murmured as Eliza Banks dropped the tulip on her table, giving her a small death look, doing the same to Lily, who only gave her a cheery smile in return. "Seriously though, I want you to see this! I was practicing in Transfiguration, but I was interrupted. I think I've nearly got it though - if I just twist my and a bit more and a larger curve. . . "

She trailed off as she took her wand out of her sleeve, fingering the long piece of wood.

She put the flower in her hand, taking in the fading of blue towards the stem. She gave her wand a flick before beginning to mutter under her breath. "Meus venustus flower twirl mihi. Tripudio quod sono. Change vestri vestio meus venustus flower." Again and again. Slowly but surely the colours of it changed, tiny lights flying over the petals, as the flower emitted a slow hum. The flower twirled up, and let out a light song, as it flashed in silvers and golds.

Lettie let out a delighted clap, finally having achieved the charm correctly as Professor made his way over to her. "Well done Miss Chambers! Twenty points to Gryffindor!" He almost jumped up and down, as the class looked over, the girls cooing over her flower and the boys wondering if they could manage a complex charm like that.

"You finally got it!" Lily squealed for her friend, who was blushing, yet still excited. "I didn't actually think you would get it so quick! I mean it's awfully complex, with all the different magic you have to find to create the incantation, as well as the fact that you have to have a lot of things happening!"

Lettie gave her friend a smile, and turned back to her Charms text book, examining it as if she didn't already know it like the back of her hand.

"You going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Lily asked her partner as her own flower let out a tiny song.

"No. I'm just gonna stick around here. It's much quieter." Lettie gave a smile.

"You sure? It is our last year. We only have a few left." Lily gave her a look as she worked on a marble colour pattern.

"Yeah it's fine you-" Lettie winced as the bell rang out. "You go."

Lily rolled her eyes, packing her things up as Professor Flitwick told them to work on the charms for homework.

The two girls were walking out of the classroom when someone yelled out. "Chambers!"

Lily and Lettie turned around and to their surprise (and Lettie's embarrassment) they saw Sirius Black racing towards them. "Yes?" Lily answered for her quiet friend.

"Go Evans. This don't concern you." The attractive male said, as his own friends exited the room.

Huffing Lily followed their lead.

"What is it?" Lettie asked quietly.

"Your stupid tutoring." Black scowled. "When do you want to meet?"

"I'm so sorry to inconvenience you." Lettie bit her lip, looking at the ground, away from the judging eyes.

"I don't care. I have to tutor you anyway. Damn McGonagall." He gave a huff, folding his arms. "Look, let's meet in the library, Saturday 10 o'clock."

"But

"But isn't that-" Lettie was cut off.

"I don't care. If you want to actually pass Transfiguration, stop arguing. If you want my help you'll be there." Sirius gave a scowl before walking away.


	3. Study Dates

Lettie found herself panicking on Saturday morning. What did you wear to a tutoring session? In the end she decided to put on her jeans and a sweater. Robes seemed a bit formal, and all she really owned apart from her school robes were dress robes. She left her dark hair down, put no makeup on and slung her book bag over her shoulder. In all, she looked normal. Exactly like she did every other weekend.

Lily had asked what she was doing that day and she was yet to tell her that she was actually meeting Sirius Black to be tutored in the library.

She walked quickly to the library, arriving ten minutes early. She flashed Madam Pince a smile, before walking over to the Transfiguration area, which was fairly obvious to see and also the most appropriate area.

Twenty minutes later and Black still hadn't appeared. Frowning, she tok the songbird she had Transfigured out of her book bag. It was a tiny thing, which she had decided to name Ollaya, after a famous witch of Holland also because of her song. She enchanted the bird again - unfortunately because of her lack of skill and the weak spell, the Transfiguration needed to be reapplied.

Slowly she sung a few notes, and got the fluttering thing to repeat them. However much to her dismay, it caused the bird to sing again and again and again, higher and higher. "Shhhhh!" She whispered. "Talking to birds Chambers?" Black appeared abruptly, turning to face her as he walked out of the bookshelves. "And I thought you were slightly sane."

"Shut up!" She growled, before clapping her hand over her mouth, blushing. She was talking to Sirius Black for goodness sake! And oh Merlin, she was Lettie Chambers! She hadn't talked to a guy in what, five yeras? And the first time she did she ended up bossing him around. "I'm sorry." She said meekly, ducking her head and hiding behind her curtain of hair.

He raised an eyebrow before slouching down. "Okay so what do you ned help with?"

"I don't know. . ." She blushed again, looking at her sweater and inspecting it for loose strands. "A lot." She shrugged.

"Chambers, I'm trying to be patient here, but Merlin, you're a pain. What don't you get?" Black gave a sigh as a group of twittering secound years erupted in giggles.

"I don't know." Lettie admitted, shrugging.

"How about I make it easier for you. What do you get?" Black leaned back, exposing his stomach, which while Lettie could appreciate as being nice, she was annoyed as she was sure he was doing it to get her to simply bend to his will, like so many other girls did.

"I get the basic Transfigurations. Except not nonverbal." Lettie blushed, twirling her wand as her bird squawked.

"And you're in a N.E.W.T class?" Black asked incredulously. "Oh Agrippa."

Lettie blushed and looked away again.

"Okay. So. How about we try and Transfigure my quill into a bird nonverbally?"

After a few tries, and all that happened was the colour changed, Lettie put her wand down, sighing. "I. . . I just can't do it."

"Oh Agrippa!" Black cursed. "Why don't you try verbally then?"

Biting her lip, Lettie quickly performed the spell, resulting in another bird appearing. It wasn't quite as big as it should of been, but none the less, it was a bird and not a quill.

An hour later and Black sighed. "Look, Chambers, I've gotta go. But next Wednesday, 9 o'clock."

And Lettie found herself sitting at the table all by herself. "Merlin Black."

~~~~~ "How was it?" Lily asked excitedly, flipping through her Witch Weekly magazine.

"He is a jerk." Lettie blushed.

"What did he say?" Lily asked, jumping up. "Do you want me to go talk to him?"

Lettie blushed and shook her head. "He's just telling me how much of an idiot I am. It's just embarrassing." Lettie lay down on her back.

She had spent another hour in the library, coming back after Madam Pince had told her she had best get going, or she would be out after curfew. So she had come back and told her friend where she had been.

"He didn't like you know . . . make a move on you did he?" Lily asked lowly, her eyes wide.

"What?" Lettie shot up, ignoring the glares from Avelle Crossina (her room mate), which she was rather used to by now. "No. Why would he?"

"I don't know. He's Sirius Black. You know his reputation as well as i do." Lily shrugged. "So did he?"

"Definitely not." Lettie assured her friend and room mate. "Believe me, he would never make a move on me.""

"Why not?" Lily scrunched her nose up in confusion.

"Because I'm not pretty enough for him." Lettie rolled her eyes as Avelle gave a tiny mutter of 'yeah, you got that right' as her friend Ayisha gave a loud shriek, followed by giggles.

"Lettie love, you are one of the prettiest girls at this school.' Lily rolled her eyes. "But seriously, if you think that something is happening and you're uncomfortable, come tell me. I know him. We're friends." She shrugged.

"Thanks Lily." Lettie gave a shrug. "But nothings going to happen, believe me. But I'll come if anything happens."

Sirius found herself sighing heavily.

"What's wrong mate?" James asked him, grabbing the Snitch he had stolen.

"McGonagall." He groaned.

"What did she do now?" James asked expectantly, as Remus entered the room.

"She wants me to tutor a student. Which I haven't had a chance to tell you because you've been busy with darling Lily." Sirius threw a sock in James' direction.

"Sorry. Head duties call." james said breezily, dodging the sock. "Why? Which student?"

"Lettie Chambers. In our year." Sirius said gloomily, emitting tiny clouds from his wand.

"A chick? It can't be that bad then." James rolled his eyes at Sirius' dramatics.

"She doesn't talk. And she can't perform nonverbal spells."

"A nontalker? What is she mute?" James asked with no tact.

"Nah, she's just shy I think." Sirius shrugged. "Problem is she doesn't like me. Which means she's gonna have to be harder to boss around."

"So the problem is the fact that she isn't falling in love with you. That she's quite." Remus butted in, knowing the truth.

"Shut it." Sirius growled. "I have to waste my time tutoring her. That's the problem."

"I think that this was supposed to be a lesson in responsibility Pads. But are you coming down?" Remus opened the door and walked down, knowing that the hungry boys he called friends would soon follow.


	4. Cuts and Bruises

Lettie decided not to waste time being early to her next lesson, so she got to the library at exactly 9.00, not bothering to be early. Not to her surprise, Sirius was not there.

Sighing she sat down and waited for him, opening a Charms book.

A couple of minutes later she heard the low husky voice that only one male in the school possessed. "Chambers, you ready?"

She nodded her head, opening her Transfiguration book.

"Close the damn book." He snarled as he sat down opposite, bits of his dark hair falling into his eyes. "The book is useless and doesn't teach anything. Get your wand out." Timidly, Lettie nodded and took her wand out. "Okay, so Meteolojinx Recanto. It's a basic weather change spell, one you should be familiar with."

Nodding placidly Lettie muttered the incantation.

"No, stop! Nonverbal." Black rolled his eyes.

Lettie nodded again, as the spark that had been growing at the end of her wand vanished. Her spell was faint, but it did achieve the desired effect to a degree. She was giving a slight shiver, which wasn't necessarily a good thing, seeing as she wanted to make the room warmer.

"Okay,so you can't preform any spells." Black rolled his eyes. "So we need to . . ."

He gave her directions in the snarky way that Lettie had long ago associated with the popular. She nodded and listened, paying apt attention to him.

They continued in this fashion, meeting in the library every Saturday and Wednesday, with Lettie only improving a bit. For the better half of the month she lived in constant fear of him. Constant fear that he would do something stupid, harmful and embarrassing. And he did.

"Chambers." Sirius approached like normal, slouching into the chair he called his own.

She nodded, hugging her sweater to herself.

It was nearly Christmas time and it was getting cold. Most everyone was dressed in sweaters and jeans if they weren't in their robes.

"Okay so a fire spell." Black gave her a look, strangely sinister looking in the bad lighting of the library.

Lettie nodded, and took her wand out preparing herself for the incantation.

"Aren't you going to take that jumper off?" Black asked, motioning at her lavender sweater.

"Umm, no it's cold." She shrugged, pulling the sleeves further down.

"You'll catch them on fire!" Black said, looking at her incredulously.

"No. I'll be careful. It's fine really." She shrugged, grabbing out her wand, again and focusing its point on the piece of paper he had placed in front of her. She wasn't catching the paper on fire. She was turning it into fire.

"Don't be stupid Chambers," Black rolled his eyes. "If you won't do it I will."

He pulled up the sleeves of both her arms, as she froze in horror. To his shock, he now found her arms bearing wicked scars, crisscrossing over her wrists.

. . I. . . . I have to go." She stuttered out, her blue eyes wide in shock.

She didn't even bothering grabbing her things, just ran out of the library, her wand still drawn and clasped tightly in her right hand.

It wasn't like she was doing it for attention. No, definitely not. It was . . . because she was alone. Upset. Angry with herself. But she didn't want some guy just coming along and seeing. Now he'd use it to tease her taunt her.

She stopped her running to duck into an unused classroom on the secound floor. And old Transfiguration room. Shaking with doubt and shock, she ran to the corner, her thin frame curling into a tiny ball. Slowly but steadily she let the tears come out, and found herself once more giving up.

~~~~~ "You okay?" Lily jumped up from her bed, ignoring the looks they got from the rest of their dorm mates.

It was after hours. Dark. Gloomy. And there fore hours since her study session with him. She had been gone all day. Coming back and creeping into the Common Room and up to her dorm only after everyone had been so bored with themselves that they had turned to playing games. No homework was being done. Therefore she wouldn't be noticed.

She'd crept up to her dorm and to her surprise Lily had been there. Taking in he friends tear coated face she had immediately known something was wrong.

"No, no. It's nothing." Lettie smiled weakly.

"Was it Sirius?" Lily asked softly as Avelle threw them a curious look at his name.

Lettie shook he head. "Of course not. Why would it be?"

"Lettie." Lily said slowly. "What did he do?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." She shook her head giving a tittering laugh that other girls so enjoyed.

"Lettie." Lily said lowly again. "I can talk to him. Even get James to if you want."

Lettie barely noticed her friends use of Lily's fellow Heads first name. " No." She shook her head, her eyes wide. " Nothing happened. Everything's fine."

And with that she walked over to her bed and pulled the hangings closed. Leaving her friend extremely worried.

"Sirius." Lily tapped the boy on his shoulder.

He was sitting with his dorm mates. James, Peter, Remus, Nate and Dan. Unlike normal however he was quiet, not making jokes.

"Lily." Sirius acknowledged.

"Can I have a word?" She bit her lip.

"Uh yeah, sure." He stood up, and ignoring the looks that his friends were giving him, followed her across the room to a quiet corner.

"What the hell did you do to Lettie?" Lily bit out harshly, stabbing him in the chest with her fingernail.

"What? What did she say I did?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"Nothing." Lily said it like a curse word. "She's terrified. That's why I'm coming to you. What the hell did you do?" She hissed.

"Lily, I honestly did nothing." Sirius sighed, rubbing his hair with his hand.

"The hell you didn't." She glared.

"Look, I'll talk to . . . Lettie," The name was unfamiliar and awkward on his tongue. "Tomorrow."

"Fine." She glared, not once faltering. It probably helped that she was only an inch shorter than him. "But I expect her to be better. And if not, it's your head Black." Oh Merlin.

Lettie gave a sigh. Calm yourself. Don't you dare prove to them that you're not a true Gryffindor. Stand tall. Stand brave. Stand strong.

Just because one boy had found out her secret didn't mean that the world was ending.

She flicked her wand at the orchids her mum had sent her a couple of weeks ago. Her favourite flower. Lettie was the last one in the dorm. Even Avelle had left ages ago and so it was just her.

She bit her lip, pulling her jumper around her thin jumpers tighter. It was Monday. Monday. She had spent a whole day inside her dorm, insisting that she was 'sick' and didn't want to go to the Hospital Wing because she had a lot of homework and wasn't that ill. So in reality she was a coward. Unable to face the idea that her tutor, Sirius Black of all people, had found out her darkest secret.

Shaking her head, she smoothed her brown hair down and stood up. She would be brave.

Lettie slung her book bag and walked through the empty Common Room and down to the hall outside the Great Hall. So far all of Hogwarts appeared to be empty. Which meant one thing. Everyone was in the Hall.

She pushed the doors open and walked over to the Gryffindor table, where Lily was sitting with a couple of her friends in the sixth year. "Hey." She said quietly, adjusting her skirt and sitting down next to her friend.

"Hey." Lily smiled back, getting a plate and putting a pile of pancakes on it. "You gonna eat that?"She asked as she put the plate in front of her.

The brunette gave a slight grin before digging into the food in front of her.

"We have Potions first." Lily reminded her as one of the sixth years, Amy Bones gave a chuckle of amusement.

"Sounds fun." She teased.

"Hey, Slughorn likes Lily." Lettie shrugged, barely finishing a pancake. "It's all right for some." "True." Amy acknowledged with a grin playing on her lips. "But even Lily gets annoyed. 'Oh Miss Evans! What a wonderful potion!"

"Shut up." Lily growled, but she only half heartedly gave Amy a push. "Is that all you're eating Lettie?"

"Yeah, I'm not really hungry." She gave a smile. "You ready to go?"

"If I must." Lily sighed, slinging her book bag over her shoulder, and brushing her perfectly clean skirt off as she stood up.

The two girls walked along the hallway, to the dungeons which sent shivers down Lettie's back. Even on a Monday morning it was dull and there was no sun shine anywhere and relied on the dull candles to illuminate the damp area.

They stopped in front of the Potions room, talking quietly, as Lettie shivered and clutched her book bag to herself.

"Come on, come on!" Professor Slughorn said impatiently, motioning for them to enter the class room with a pudgy hand.

The chattering N.E.W.T level students followed his lead into the room, finding seats. There was about twenty in total, for Potions was a subject that was generally needed in most professions. However Lettie reflected, most only needed a O.W.L level passing grade. As she slid into a seat next to Lily, Slughorn called out from the front of the class.

"Boys late again?"He tutted. "If I were a harsher professor I would give you detention."

"Sir, we were just caught up. It won't happen again."His voice chimed out from the doorway.

Lettie gritted her teeth and focused on taking out her potions book, trying to ignore the fact that her hand was shaking do much that she could barely move it.

"Don't bother sitting down." Slughorn chuckled. "I've allowed you to sit in your own seating arrangement for nearly a month now, but I need to rearrange you to allow for everyone to gain the best results possible."

At this the class groaned. "Now, now, don't whinge. I have been advised by the Headmaster himself. you cannot argue with that."Well Mulciber certainly seemed to have a word to say.

"Now! Miss Thompson, if you would make your way over to Mr Radley." Dan grinned at the blonde Hufflepuff, as Nate stood up, leaning against the bench. "Mr Young if you would join Miss Gaudet?" Nate made his way over to the highly attractive vixen of a witch. "Now Mr Perks and Miss MacDonald."

He continued in this matter, as Lily went to join Bertram Aubrey (much to her fellow Heads and his friends amusement), and then Lettie heard her name. "Miss Chambers and Mr Potter."

She blushed and saw the good looking boy make his way over to her. "Lettie is it?" He asked with a smirk twitching at the corners of his lips.

She nodded, her face bright red and turned to her book.

"You're not going to ask me my name?" James asked, sliding into Lily's now vacated seat.

"Everyone knows who you are." Lettie said softly.

"Well it's social to anyway." He grinned, reaching over to have a look at the book she held. "What potion are we making today? I wasn't listening last lesson."

"Of course you weren't." She breathed uncharacteristically. "We're making the healing potion. The seventy-sixth one in your book." "Healing." James scoffed.

"What's wrong with healing?" Lettie asked suddenly, putting a hand on her hip.

"Nothing. But I want to be an Auror. And it's a bit of a girl thing."James shrugged.

"Excuse you." Lettie glared at him. "Without healing I know for a fact that you would be dead. You had a bad case of hypothermia in fourth year and we all thought you were going to die. And you can't make something that is not human masculine or feminine. It can't have a gender." James chose to ignore the comment about his health as he got out his scales and knife. "You're saying that there are no feminine and masculine behaviours?"

"Of course not!" She exclaimed loudly (especially for her) as she lit her cauldron fire. "The only reason people say that we have masculine or feminine behaviours is because we are all insecure." "Insecure?"James scoffed. "I'm not insecure." "Oh you are." She smiled, almost scarily. "You're insecure, perhaps more than anyone else. You're insecure about your role as Head Boy. About being Quidditch captain. About peoples opinions."

James gaped at her for a secound, before resuming his calm demeanour. "Well you can believe that if you want, but that doesn't prove your point."

"Oh it does." She said, moving to get her toads eyeballs, and chopping them into thin slices. "You go around with girls, because you're popular. Because that's what popular boys do. As Head Boy, you think that you need to boss everyone around, so you do. You think that you should be all protective of Lily, treat her like a little girl, because she's a girl, so you do. You act on society's image of females and males."

James shook his head. "That's all part of me." "Is it really?" Lettie smiled, as she slid the salamander skin into the cauldron. "Because no offence, but you really don't look like you care an inch about half the girls you go out with.


	5. Bewitching Confessions

"CHAMBERS!"He called from behind, causing the girl in question to freeze up.

She was fast, Sirius would give her that. So he was panting as he caught her in the Entrance Hall. "What do you want?" She hissed.

"Come here." She hissed back, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into an empty classroom opposite the Great Hall. "Did you do that to yourself?" He asked, pushing her sleeve up and exposing the pile of faded of scars and a blood red one.

"What does it matter?" She hissed, pulling it down as his thumb traced circles on her wrist.

"It matters because you need help." He rolled his eyes, exposing the scars once more.

"People won't help me. They'll ridicule me, taunt me." Lettie gave him a glare. "Which is exactly what you're doing." "I'm not teasing you. I'm trying to help you." Sirius breathed low, frustrated with this girl, who was shy one minute and hostile the next.

"You are. You're going to tease me, and tell everyone." She half yelled, before clamping a hand over her mouth as the shock of what she had said hit her, and her brain registered the volume of which it was said.

"I'm not going to tease you over a mental condition!" Sirius blanched, as if she had insulted him. Honestly he wasn't cruel, nor was he so immature that he didn't know what a mental condition was. After all, he had basically grown up in a household filled with people with them, although Lettie was much calmer and appeared over all nicer.

"Then what do you want from me?" She blinked, her voice low, her blue / green eyes looking up at him with resentment, as if she blamed him.

"I want to help you! Be there for you!" He sighed exasperated.

"Why?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. "Because Lily put you up to it? Because I'm your pity case?"

"I'm not here because of Evans! Sure she talked to me, but I was coming anyway. Does she even know?" He asked softly, his voice kind after the hushed yelling and fighting the two had had.

"No." She breathed, looking away. "Lily . . . she wouldn't understand. She thinks that the best solution is a mental institution. And also, I couldn't but my problems on her shoulders. She has to deal with a lot of her own, and other peoples already. I can't ask her to deal with mine." "Are you sure?" Sirius breathed. "Or do you just not want anyone to find out? To look at you differently?"

She stiffened, and Sirius knew that he had found out the truth. "I'm right aren't I?"He breathed in her ear, causing her to erupt in shivers, that made Sirius nearly sure she was moments away from crying. "How did you know?" She resorted to hissing once more.

"Because I've been there!" He gave an exasperated half shout, before looking up to the door, checking that no one was coming in. "Maybe I didn't make scars, but I've been there." "Why?" She asked, her eyes wide. "You're Sirius Black. You don't need anything." "That doesn't mean what you think it does." He sighed, releasing her hand which had nail marks, half moons decorating it now. "I . . . I didn't have the most stable background and upbringing." He sighed, and sat on the floor, his back against the wall, and a hand messing up his head. "I'm a Black you know. And the Blacks . . . .Well even as a Muggleborn you know that we aren't exactly the nicest people around. We like to as a general rule, think that we are better than others, and I was brought up with that mentality. And . . . I don't agree with it. The 'Pureblood Propaganda'." He gave a sarcastic laugh. "So, my mother, darling Walburga, hates me. Same with dear old dad. My brother, who's younger than me - you know the Slytherin, Regulas Black- he's the golden child. And if I go home, I have to deal with them belittling me and putting me down."

"That's awful." Lettie breathed, sitting down next to him. "I'm sorry. Now all of my problems seem insignificant."

"Well if something drove you to do that to yourself, well, I would say they're fairly worthy." Sirius said wryly, and with a jolt Lettie realised that he had just bared his soul to her. "So what is the problem exactly pet?"

She gave a sigh, that sounded like it was racking her body, like she had a chest infection, and Sirius realised she was holding back tears. "When I first got to Hogwarts . . . I was in awe of everything. It was beautiful and magical and enchanting. Coming from a Muggle household, I thought I was at a disadvantage to everyone else. That I was further behind. So I studied. I didn't say much in class (I was afraid I of getting answers wrong), and naturally I'm not a loud person. So people turned to teasing me. I was a good target. Am a good target. Not to mention that I'm not an especially exceptional student. The only thing I'm half way decent at is Charms. I think that's because Lily helped me a lot up until O.W.L's."

"So you turned to hurting yourself?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Who to?" Lettie shrugged, not asking for help, but stating that she had already thought of everything. "I was too scared to talk to teachers, and now they're too busy. Another student will only tease me. My mum, as much as I love her, is a Muggle. She wouldn't understand. She would just withdraw me, and that's about the worst thing that could happen right now. Besides I'm a Gryffindor. We're brave." She gave a laugh, chilling and horrifyingly dark.

"You could of talked to me."Sirius shrugged, looking ahead.

"Please. Black, even I'm not naive enough to think that you would do anything other than tease me."She shrugged.

"I wouldn't of." He said, almost like he was upset. "I would of told them to stop. I'm fairly popular and important to that lot." "And humble too." Lettie rolled her eyes.

"I care you know?" Sirius rolled his eyes back. "What do you want to do? Go eat?"

She shook her head, and lay it on his shoulder.

And then he realised that she trusted him, like he trusted her. Maybe they weren't friends as such yet, but they were joined together. Irrevocably connected. And for once he was okay with that.

"Where were you?" Lily asked conversationally when Lettie walked into the Transfiguration classroom.

"Just around." She said, knowing that they both knew she had been in the library. "How was your lunch?"

"Well . . .as a matter of fact . . . I sat with James." Lily gave a light blush that was uncharacteristic of her.

"Oohhh, James is it now?" Lettie teased her, allowing her friend to temporarily forget about her absence.

"Oh shut up." Lily scowled, only half meaning it. "You can't talk."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lettie frowned.

"You've been spending so much time 'tutoring' that even I know you aren't." Lily rolled her eyes. "What's going on with you and Sirius Black?"

"Nothing." Lettie insisted. "Honestly, we're just friends. Is is that hard for a boy and girl to be friends now a days?"

"Yes." Lily said, before Emmeline Kennedy chimed in "No."

"Honestly Em, the only reason you're saying that is because you and John have been best friends since first year." Lily rolled her eyes.

Emmeline Kennedy was a Ravenclaw in their year who the girls were rather good friends with. She was clever, with quipping insults to people she didn't know, a chaser on her House team, beautiful in an ice queen way. And she was a bit of a bitch.

Her and John Vance had been best friends since first year, with both being Purebloods who had grown up together. And they had remained friends throughout their school years.

"We're never falling for each other. Never." Emmy shook her head.

"Emmy, you can't just decide not to fall for one another."Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yes I can. I simply choose to think of him as only my friend." Emmy gave a bright smile, her light brown, almost blonde hair being pulled back into a ponytail.

"All -" Lettie was cut off by McGonagall at the front of the room.

"Settle down!"The Gryffindor Head of House called out. "All right, so we are going to go over the spells we learnt five weeks. Miss Gaudet, would you care to hand out the flowers?"

The Slytherin beauty got up, rolling her eyes, and lazily picked the box off her teachers desk, knocking a pile of papers off.

With disappointment Lettie sighed. Her songbird had died on the weekend, and she had been reminded of it, with this lesson.

Gaudet threw a flower down in front of her, doing the same to Lily as she threw them a glare, but didn't dare to do the same to Emmy, who was handed her iris.

Focusing, Lettie found herself mentally preparing and imagining the outcome of the spell as Sirius had told her. She wasn't being pressured, but she found herself wanting this to be perfect. To complete it perfectly. Weeks and hours of practice had gone into the learning it. She wasn't going to stuff it up.

Calming herself down, she whispered the incantation and to her delight a squawking parakeet appeared.

"Nice spell work Miss Chambers." McGonagall gave a nod in her students direction, as Lettie's face lit up. "You should thank Mr Black."

Sirius gave a lazy grin from over where he was lounging in his chair next to Remus Lupin. Lettie threw an uncommon grin in his direction and he threw back a wink. She gave a light blush, although she was used to his mannerisms and tendency to wink at her and drape his arms over her shoulders.

The rest of the class passed quickly, as the rest of the students revised and practiced for their upcoming quiz, leaving Lettie surrounded by parakeets.

Finally the bell rang and Lily was able to say goodbye to the ecstatically happy Lettie. "Sirius!" She yelled, coming out of her shell for once, as she flung her arms around him. "Thank you so, so, so, so, so, so, so much!"She squeezed him tight as he let out a chuckle.

"It's okay Lettie. But seriously, good job." He grinned, drawing her back and hugging her again, putting himself (and her) into a more comfortable position.

"Thank you again! And I know that McGonagall put you up to it, but thank you! I owe you!" She grinned brightly, her white teeth for once showing, no longer hidden under her pink lips.

"It's fine Lettie. I'd do it again." Sirius threw his arm around her shoulders, and walked out of the class with her, ignoring the looks that they were receiving from other members of their year. "You wanna eat dinner with us?"


End file.
